Department for Transport

Kingston upon Hull-Liverpool Railway Line

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of upgrading the Hull to Liverpool train line to high speed specifications.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department will soon publish its Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) which will look at how best to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail, alongside other major rail investments in the North and Midlands including HS2 Phase 2b, so that the benefits of these investments are delivered to passengers and communities more quickly.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Biodiversity

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken and what progress he has made on ensuring that HS2 delivers a net gain in biodiversity.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government has committed to aiming for Net Gain on Phase 2b of HS2 as part of the Dasgupta Review on The Economics of Biodiversity. This is on top of committing to achieving the objective of no-net loss in biodiversity across the route, the first major UK transport project to have such a commitment. That is why we have allocated £17.8m of funding for HS2 Phase 2a to further reduce impacts and bring environmental improvements to communities close to the Phase 2a route. This includes £5m for the Community and Environment and Business and Local Economy Funds and £2m for the Biodiversity Investment Fund. Government has allocated £7 million to the HS2 Woodland Fund (on both Phase One and 2a) to help restore existing ancient woodlands and to create new native woodlands, as well as aiming to achieve 33km2 of new and restored wildlife habitat on Phase One. We are looking at how HS2 might enhance this existing No Net Loss objective by identifying and implementing appropriate opportunities, where it is reasonably practicable, to move towards net gains in biodiversity. HS2 will shortly release its Environmental Sustainability Progress Report which will confirm the progress to date.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Phase 1 of HS2 construction is completed by 2033.

Andrew Stephenson: The first Phase One services remain on track for delivery in the range of 2029 to 2033 between Old Oak Common and Birmingham. HS2 Ltd has recently completed a schedule replanning exercise to manage and mitigate pressures on the programme since Notice-to-Proceed and this has confirmed that Phase One remains deliverable within this timeframe. The opening of services from Euston remains planned between 2031 and 2036. The Department has recently confirmed the move to a less complex 10-platform single-stage design for Euston station and further work is underway to confirm the delivery schedule and opening date. Regular progress updates and the steps the Department is taking to maintain control of the programme will continue to be provided in six-monthly reports to Parliament.

Tonnage Tax: Employment

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessments have been made of the effect of creating a mandatory requirement in the Tonnage Tax scheme to employ British (a) ratings and (b) officers since June 2016 to date.

Robert Courts: Since June 2016, no assessment has been made of the effect of creating a mandatory requirement in the Tonnage Tax scheme to employ British ratings and officers. However, with the tonnage reforms recently announced by HM Treasury, the Department will consider this matter as part of its reforms to the training commitment.

Bus Services: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what additional support he plans to provide to bus companies during the covid-19 outbreak.

Trudy Harrison: During the pandemic, the Government provided an unprecedented level of financial support to the bus sector. Through the Coronavirus Bus Service Support Grant (CBSSG), over £1.4bn in revenue support was provided to operators and Local Transport Authorities between March 2020 and August 2021. This ensured services remained available for those who needed them. Following the lifting of restrictions, passengers are returning, however they are currently at below pre-pandemic levels. Operators will therefore face financial pressures if they maintain services without support. That is why the Government has announced an additional £226.5m in funding through the Bus Recovery Grant (BRG). This scheme will fund operators and Local Transport Authorities to run up to 100% of pre-Covid services and will be available until April 2022.

Bus Services: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of local authorities running their local bus services in the event a bus company moves into administration.

Trudy Harrison: Under the Transport Act (1985) all bus operators in England must give their respective local transport authority and Traffic Commissioner a combined 70 days’ notice of their intention to permanently cancel any existing bus services. Where an existing operator intends to withdraw from the market, the local transport authority can use this time to broker discussions with remaining operators, to determine whether and to what extent they intend to operate any of those withdrawn services commercially. Moreover, the notice period described above can be reduced to help quickly register replacement services, helping to ensure continuity for passengers. The local authority also has powers under the 1985 Act to secure the provision of any services that will not be operated commercially, if it considers them to be socially necessary.

Railways: Birmingham

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date his Department plans to restore Avanti trains to three services per hour between London and Birmingham.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Birmingham to London currently benefits from up to five trains per hour across three operators, and Avanti West Coast provides the most frequent services of these operators. As the year progresses, Avanti will look into additional services to satisfy passenger demand in collaboration with other operators on this route, recognising the need to balance taxpayers’ expense and passenger capacity.

Public Transport: Season Tickets

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to roll out flexible ticketing across the Midlands to encourage passengers to use public transport.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department is rolling out flexible ticketing and plans to go further. We have already introduced flexible season tickets on rail across England this year. As set out in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail White Paper, we intend to introduce contactless pay-as-you-go ticketing on rail on urban and commuter networks across the country.

Railways: Midlands

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the Midlands Rail Network scheme for the region's economy.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of building the Midlands Rail Hub for the region's economy.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Network Rail prepared a Strategic Outline Business Case for the Midlands Rail Hub scheme in 2019. It showed that this investment would deliver significant benefits to Birmingham and the Midlands.Network Rail, working with Midlands Connect is progressing an Outline Business Case and I expect to the receive the Outline Business Case in Autumn 2022.

Railways

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to continue to support rail operations; and steps his Department is taking to assess future rail use.

Chris Heaton-Harris: As the railways recover from the pandemic, the Department is supporting the industry to provide more capacity than currently used to encourage passengers back onto the railway. While the long-term trend for rail remains unclear, we are working closely with operators to estimate future rail use, ensure services reflect demand, and balance performance and cost.

Cycling and Walking

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the transition to active travel options, such as cycling and walking.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department is investing an unprecedented £2 billion in active travel over the course of this Parliament. This is the biggest ever boost for walking and cycling and it will enable delivery of the Prime Minister’s long term cycling and walking plan, Gear Change, published in July 2020.

Railways: Birmingham

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to include the Birmingham Airport Connectivity scheme in the upcoming Integrated Rail Plan.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department will soon publish its Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) which will look at how best to deliver major rail investments in the North and Midlands, so that the benefits of these investments are delivered to passengers and communities more quickly. The Birmingham Airport Connectivity project is part of the Midlands Engine Rail proposals and it will be appropriate to consider the case for this scheme when the Integrated Rail Plan concludes.

Chester Station

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department expects to begin Chester Station's inclusion in the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline.

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason Chester Station's access to the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline is delayed.

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline, what estimate he has made of the amount of time it will take for Chester station to move from allocation of funds stage of that programme to the full delivery of works under that programme.

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential role of (a) Cheshire West and Chester Council, (b) Merseyrail, (c) Transport for Wales and (d) other stakeholders in supporting the progress of Chester Station through the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department indicated in its feedback last year on Cheshire West and Chester Council’s initial Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) for potential rail enhancements at Chester Station the further work that was required on the business case before a scheme could be considered for inclusion and progression within the Government’s Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline (RNEP), in accordance with the published guidance. The Council is continuing to work in collaboration with Transport for Wales, Network Rail, the Cheshire and Warrington LEP, other regional partners and my officials to assemble the additional evidence needed to finalise the SOBC. There is no confirmed timescale for regional partners’ completion of that work, and therefore for any submission or decision on inclusion of a scheme in the RNEP, or for forecast delivery of any works proposed subject to subsequent funding decisions. As with any business case, I would expect any submission to set out proposals for consideration on the role of regional and local partners in the funding and management of the proposed scheme.

East Coast Railway Line: North East

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to scope faster routes on the East Coast Main Line north of York.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department will soon publish its Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) which will look at how best to deliver major rail investments in the North and Midlands including HS2 Phase 2b, Northern Powerhouse Rail and the East Coast Main Line, so that the benefits of these investments are delivered to passengers and communities more quickly. Furthermore, we are continuing close engagement with Network Rail and local stakeholders to identify and assess potential enhancements to the route.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy Supply: Warm Home Discount Scheme

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of whether the level of discount offered by the Warm Home Discount scheme is adequate for people in need experiencing additional energy price rises from April 2022.

Greg Hands: The Warm Home Discount is funded by energy suppliers, who generally recoup the costs from customers’ energy bills. However, the Government sets the spending target each year. The target is set to balance providing significant rebates to as many households as possible, while minimising the impact on consumers’ bills. For this year, 2021/22, the overall spending target is £354 million. Given the fixed funding available for the scheme, increasing the rebate amount for households would reduce the number of households receiving support. Following a consultation last year, the Government decided to keep the rebate amount at £140 this winter to maximise the number of households that the scheme is able to reach. This year, we expect around 2.2 million households across the country will receive rebates. The Government recently consulted on the future of the scheme beyond 2022. This consultation included a proposal to increase the rebate amount to £150 from the 2022/23 scheme year onwards, balancing increasing the value of the rebate against ensuring that as many fuel poor households as possible are able to access this much-needed support.

Energy Supply: Warm Home Discount Scheme

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy,  if he will reopen proposals to reform the Warm Homes Discount Scheme for people in need of support as a result of the increase in energy prices.

Greg Hands: The Government has consulted on reforms to the Warm Home Discount that will provide significant improvements to the scheme’s operation and more support to fuel poor households. They will improve the fuel poverty targeting of the scheme and enable more fuel poor households to receive a rebate. By increasing the funding to £475 million (in 2020 prices) per year, around 3 million households will receive rebates on their energy bills every winter – this is 780,000 more households than under the current scheme. Through data matching, the vast majority of eligible households would be entitled to receive the rebate automatically, rather than having to apply. Rebates would also be increased to £150 per household, compared to £140 currently, balancing increasing the value of the rebate against ensuring that as many fuel poor households as possible are able to access this much-needed support. The Government’s response to the consultation will be published in the coming months, with any reforms coming into force from the 2022/23 scheme year.

Global Britain Investment Fund

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to paragraph 4.74 of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 Red Book, what steps the Global Britain Investment fund will take to ensure that economic opportunities are spread more evenly across the UK.

Lee Rowley: The Global Britain Investment Fund (GBIF) will provide grants to encourage internationally mobile companies to invest in the UK’s critical and most innovative industries, where the UK has natural strengths and geographic spread. For example, the GBIF will cover the automotive sector, which has key regional clusters in the West Midlands, North West, and North East, as well as the life sciences sector, which currently has two thirds of jobs already located outside of London and the South East. Also included is the offshore wind sector, which is attracting significant new investment to our coastal communities, including floating offshore wind in Scotland and Wales.

Public Expenditure

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2021 to Question 64603, where the funding for the National Productivity Investment Fund comes from; and whether expenditure on the Advanced Research & Invention Agency is included in the £20 Billion Capital DEL expenditure total for 2024-25 in Table 2.2 of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 Red Book.

George Freeman: The budget for the Advanced Research & Invention Agency is included in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy R&D budget set out in Table 2.2 of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 Red Book. For the 2024-25 budget, this is included in the £20bn.

Migrant Workers: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to (a) improve the domestic workforce of STEM professionals and (b) maintain the UK as an attractive destination to overseas researchers; and what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the financial barriers preventing talented researchers from relocating to the UK.

George Freeman: The record level of investment announced for the UK research base at the Spending Review lays the strong foundation to realise our ambition to make the UK the most exciting place in the world for top research and innovation talent. In July, the Government published the R&D People and Culture Strategy, which sets out our actions to attract, retain and develop talented people, making sure R&D careers in the UK are appealing to talented individuals and teams both domestically and internationally. It recognises the need to identify skills gaps, anticipate future needs, and ensure we have the workforce the UK needs, and commits to action to support STEM education and careers. In line with the strategy, we are working with the Home Office to drive reforms to improve high skilled migration routes for innovators, entrepreneurs and top talent, and we are working with the Office for Talent to launch an online service to attract highly skilled, international talent.

Electric Vehicles

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the level of regional variation in electric vehicle ownership.

Lee Rowley: The Government’s plug-in vehicle grants and the majority of funding programmes for charging infrastructure, including funding for chargepoints at homes, workplaces and on residential streets, are available on a UK wide basis. Later this year government will publish our EV Infrastructure Strategy. This will define our vision for the continued roll-out of a world-leading charging infrastructure network across the UK. It will also set out the action plan for charging infrastructure rollout to ensure this is delivered at the pace needed to achieve the 2030/35 phase out successfully across all regions in the UK and to accelerate the transition to a zero-emission car and van fleet.

Department of Health and Social Care

Social Prescribing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that social prescribing practitioners receive the support they require to find suitable social prescribing placements.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement provide support for social prescribing link workers as follows: - A free online learning programme accredited by Health Education England, which includes topics on asset-based community development, working with the voluntary sector, supporting community services to be accessible and sustainable and delivering activities or groups;- A fortnightly webinar series, including topics on connecting to different types of community services, such as sports and physical activities, community hubs and unemployment services;- A fortnightly social prescribing bulletin sharing information about national community offers and services;- An online collaboration platform, where link workers can connect and share information on local offers and seek advice; and- A regional support package including peer support sessions for link workers to share local knowledge and the National Academy of Social Prescribing ‘Thriving Communities’ programme. NHS England and NHS Improvement have produced a welcome guide for new link workers, and guidance to primary care on the role of social prescribing practitioners. The primary care guidance includes a checklist for link workers on working with the voluntary sector, including the quality markers and assurance they should look for in community services before supporting an individual to access them.

Endometriosis and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of the covid-19 outbreak on those people with endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement have not made a specific assessment.

Social Prescribing: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that social prescribing is fully funded to allow it to adequately support referrals from GPs and others.

Maria Caulfield: The NHS Long Term Plan, published in 2019, announced £4.5 billion in funding for primary and community care, including social prescribing link workers, aligned with new primary care networks (PCNs). The Long Term Plan committed to significantly expanding the number of social prescribing link workers. By April 2021, 1,000 additional link workers were in place, to enable the referral of 900,000 people by 2023/24.The PCN Direct Enhanced Service contract specification requires all PCNs to provide access to a social prescribing service. PCNs are being supported to recruit social prescribing link workers through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, with 100% reimbursement up to Agenda for Change Band 5. PCNs can also claim £200 per month management costs for social prescribing link workers hosted by a third party organisation in the voluntary sector. NHS England and NHS Improvement have asked local integrated care systems and sustainability and transformation partnerships to work with local agencies and partner organisations to develop plans to ensure the provision of social prescribing in their area.The Department continued to support the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP), with a recent commitment of £6 million in grant funding for the next two years, to further advance social prescribing. The NASP has allocated £1.8 million for its ‘Thriving Communities’ fund to increase the scale of activities. We have also invested in ‘Preventing and tackling mental ill health through green social prescribing’, a £5.77 million cross-Governmental project to increase the use of green social prescribing services in England.

Dental Services

Sir Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has a maximum distance it considers appropriate for patients to travel for dental care; what data he holds on waiting times for patients in Devon for NHS dental care; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reimbursing the cost of urgent dental treatment undertaken privately in circumstances where no local NHS dentists are available.

Maria Caulfield: There are no geographical restrictions on which practice a patient may attend, including urgent dental centres (UDCs). This enables patients wider choice when seeking a new dentist or choosing to stay with a familiar practice. No maximum travel distance is therefore defined.Data is not held on waiting times in Devon and no specific assessment has been made, as the provision of urgent care has now returned to pre-pandemic levels. Patients can access care from any high street National Health Service dental practice accepting patients or via NHS 111. Over 700 UDCs continue to support the provision of urgent dental care, where a patient does not have or cannot access a dentist.

Cancer: Health Services

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle the survivability bias in the Cancer Patient Experience Survey; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure the experiences of, and quality of life for, people with a less survivable cancer are monitored by national mechanisms to allow issues in care and support to be identified and addressed.

Maria Caulfield: The Cancer Patient Experience Survey captures experiences from people treated for cancer, including those with less survivable cancers. Due to the need for statistical robustness, there is a time lag between the experience of treatment and the issue of the survey questionnaires. The Picker Institute reviewed the survey in 2018 and revised guidance to trusts to streamline preparations for the survey, ensured consistency in fieldwork across trusts to reduce delays in data collection and centralised checks on survey samples.The national cancer quality of life survey in England was launched in September 2020 to introduce an innovative quality of life metric to track and respond to the long-term impact of cancer. The first report of the survey was published on 26 October 2021 and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cancer-quality-of-life-survey-summary-report-first-data-release-october-2021/

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help improve cervical screening uptake in (a) Slough, (b) the South East and (c) England.

Maria Caulfield: In the South East, NHS England and NHS Improvement continue to work with clinical commissioning groups and (general practitioner) GP practices to improve access to general practice and increase the capacity of the workforce. Regional teams will be working with systems in Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire areas, which includes Slough, to maximise the impact of schemes such as the Primary Care Network Directed Enhanced Service Impact and Investment Fund, aimed at early detection of cancer and addressing inequalities.In some Primary Care Network areas in England, appointments can now be made in any primary care setting, other than the GP practice where an individual is registered. More routine screening appointments are now available at evening and weekends. In addition, increased access to appointments are also available in some areas via integrated sexual health clinics.

Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva: Drugs

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 22 October 2021 to Questions 56489 and 56878, on Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva: Health Services, what the status is of the highly specialised technologies guidance on Palovarotene for preventing heterotopic ossification associated with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva.

Maria Caulfield: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is in the early stages of developing highly specialised technologies guidance on palovarotene and is in discussion with the manufacturer regarding timings for this appraisal. The publication date for guidance is to be confirmed.

Mental Health: Research

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to increase research funding for mental health.

Maria Caulfield: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is the largest funder of mental health research in the United Kingdom with spending of £93.4 million in 2019/20. While it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions, the NIHR’s funding is available through open competition and we encourage researchers to submit applications in this area.We are also funding the Mental Health Research Initiative to build the capacity and capability of mental health research in region currently under-represented in mental health research.

Department for Education

Family Hubs

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to prioritise that establishment of family hubs based on need.

Will Quince: The government has announced £300 million to transform services for parents and babies, carers and children in half of local authorities in England. This is a significant investment that will have wide reach across the country and improve outcomes for thousands of babies, children, carers and families. It is critical that this investment benefits families most in need. We will set out more detail in due course.

Children: Domestic Abuse

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the removal by the family courts of the children of survivors of domestic abuse.

Will Quince: The government wants every child to be in a stable, loving home that is right for them. One of the key principles of the law is that children are best looked after within their families. However, in situations where a child is at risk of significant harm, the local authority has a statutory duty to take action to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare.We recognise that domestic abuse can impact on children’s health, wellbeing and development, with lasting effects into adulthood. The Domestic Abuse Act, which received Royal Assent on 29 April 2021, exemplifies this government’s commitment to ensuring the needs of victims and children are at the forefront of tackling domestic abuse.The government has recently consulted on draft Domestic Abuse statutory guidance, which emphasises the importance of social workers working in partnership with children, families and professionals, and highlights effective features of practice such as multi-disciplinary working and adopting a strengths-based approach.The system of family justice in England is based firmly on the principle that children should not be taken into care without a court independently assessing and carefully scrutinising all the evidence first. The court can only make an order where it concludes that there is reasonable cause to believe that the child is suffering from, or is likely to suffer, significant harm if the order were not made - and that taking the child from their family’s care will be in the child’s best interests.

Children: Day Care

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that families have access to wrap-around childcare, including after-school clubs.

Will Quince: ​Ensuring parents can continue to access childcare remains a priority for the government. The department recognises the important role wraparound childcare, such as before and after-school clubs, plays in providing additional childcare options to parents and carers, as well as providing enriching activities and promoting the wellbeing of children. We have prioritised these childcare settings to help them remain open throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, and continue to encourage schools to ensure they are offering this provision. Parents have the ‘right to request’ wraparound childcare, and the department has published guidance for schools on how to respond to such requests which is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/778997/Rights_to_request_guidance-2019.pdf. Schools should not refuse a request without a reasonable justification. All local authorities also have a legal duty to ensure there are sufficient childcare places, so far as is reasonably practicable, for working parents in their area with children aged 0-14, or up to 18 for disabled children. Parents may contact their local Family Information Service who can give provide advice on childcare providers in their area. In addition, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on 27 October, that the department will be providing over £200 million a year for the continuation of the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which provides enriching activities and healthy meals for disadvantaged children during school holidays. Local authorities will be able to use the funding for this programme, which is delivered through grants, to arrange childcare provision.

Parents

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to ensure that parents are part of the Government’s levelling up agenda.

Will Quince: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, meet in regular cross-government discussions and are committed to working together. Supporting families and children across the country to get the best start in life is a crucial part of the government’s ambition to level up. The government has prioritised support for children and families in the Spending Review and announced a £300 million package to transform services for parents and babies, carers and children in half of local authorities in England. £50 million will be available for parenting support. The department will ensure online parenting programmes are available to new parents in the 75 selected local authorities, alongside additional targeted support to families most in need.

Parents: Advisory Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of Action for Children’s online Parent Talk resource for parents.

Will Quince: I refer the hon. Member for York Central to the answer provided on 29 October 2021 to Question 63682.

Carers and Parents: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on parents and carers of children; and what assessment he has made of the accessibility of support services available to people who may be struggling.

Will Quince: The department recognises that COVID-19 has been challenging for pupils and their families. We have regularly surveyed parents and carers of school pupils throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, helping to inform our response on a range of issues. The reports from these surveys are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/parent-and-pupil-panel-omnibus-surveys. The department commissioned a bespoke sub-study as part of the Study of Early Education and Development (SEED) which explored the experiences of children and their parents during the COVID-19 outbreak. While this report documents the experiences of children and their parents in the SEED study covered by the COVID-19 outbreak, we cannot conclude from these analyses that their experiences were as a direct consequence of COVID-19. These findings also cannot be used to evaluate specific government policies, including those in response to COVID-19. The report from this survey is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-and-development-coronavirus-covid-19-study. The government has prioritised support for children and families in the Spending Review. The government has announced a £300 million package to transform services for parents and babies, carers, and children in half of local authorities in England, helping to deliver our levelling up ambitions. It includes funding to create a family hub network, for each local authority to publish their Start for Life offer, support for breast feeding, parent-infant relationships and parenting programmes. It also includes a smaller number of pilots to trial and evaluate innovative workforce models needed to support babies and families. Family hubs are a way of joining up locally to improve access to services, the connections between families, professionals, services, and providers, and putting relationships at the heart of family help. In total, £50 million will be available for parenting support. The department will ensure online parenting programmes are available to new parents in the 75 selected local authorities, alongside additional targeted support to families most in need. The department will set out more detail in due course, including on which parenting programmes will be available in the selected local authorities. While services that help vulnerable children and young people keep safe have been placed under increased pressure due to COVID-19, many have continued to operate effectively. Throughout all periods of national restrictions, we prioritised support for local services to allow key safeguarding services to continue operating. The government allocated £750 million of COVID-19 funding for frontline charities, of which £360 million was directly allocated to charities providing key services and supporting vulnerable people during the crisis. Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, the department has worked to help parents support their child’s education. Guidance on this is updated regularly, and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak. To support access to remote education, the department has distributed over 1.35 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people as part of a £400 million investment. We have ensured that children who usually receive benefits-related free school meals have had access to this support during periods of restricted attendance and provided a National Voucher Scheme to support eligible pupils required to stay at home. Over £450 million of voucher e-codes had been redeemed into supermarket gift cards for families during this period.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Repairs and Maintenance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of replacing prison windows in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: The cost to the public purse for replacing prison windows for the following financial years is:2019/20 - £525,0002020/21 - £1,338,000Information for years prior to 2019/20 can only be provided at disproportionate cost because projects were commissioned within each local prison maintenance team and details were not held centrally.

Administration of Justice: Reform

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Ministry of Justice press release of 20 July 2021, Lord Chancellor sets out reform vision for justice, what progress his Department has made in implementing those reforms.

Kit Malthouse: Prison White Paper / Prison Build Programme We remain committed to publishing a Prisons White Paper which sets out a future vision for the prison system. As part of this, we will set out our plans to deliver the next generation of prison places with the £3.8bn investment announced at the budge, along with £200 million a year by 2024-25 to improve prison leavers’ access to accommodation, employment support and substance misuse treatment. Probation service We successfully unified the Probation Service in June 2021, supported by an additional £155m of funding this year and last year, which the Spending Review settlement has now made permanent. This will support an increase in the number of probation officers and improvements to how offenders are supervised and rehabilitated. Additional investment of up to £93m into Community Payback over the next 3 years will be used to recruit more staff and develop national agreements with large organisations and charities, to support robust and visible work that gives back to communities.Alongside that, we have procured and mobilised 110 contracts with voluntary and private sector organisations to provide specialist rehabilitative services, to address needs relating to Accommodation, Education, Training and Employment, Personal Wellbeing and Women’s Services. Investigation and prosecution of rape and sexual assault In June we published the End to End Rape Review report and action plan, setting out a robust plan of work to achieve a significant improvement in the way the criminal justice system supports rape victims. We are making substantial progress implementing the actions set out, including expanding provision of the pilot of pre-recorded cross-examination (Section 28) and introducing a new investigatory model, Operation Soteria, which focuses on the suspect’s – rather than the victim’s – behaviour. Before the end of the year we will also be publishing the first ever adult rape offences scorecard, and the first progress report outlining progress against the rape review action plan in more detail. Victims Bill This Government will consult as soon as possible on a ‘Victims’ Law’ so that we can deliver tangible improvements for victims across the criminal justice system.

Prisons: Capital Investment

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, published on 27 October 2021, how much capital spending will be allocated to maintenance of existing prison spaces in (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25.

Victoria Atkins: Our SR21 settlement represents the biggest increase to an MoJ budget through a Spending Review in the last 10 years, recognising the importance of crime and justice to the Government’s agenda. The Deputy Prime Minister is developing his plans for allocating this funding and will announce more details in due course.

Prisons: Digital Technology

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, published on 27 October 2021, how much (a) capital and (b) revenue spending will be allocated to the delivery of the HMPPS Digital, Data and Technology Strategy in (i) 2022-23, (ii) 2023-24 and (iii) 2024-25.

Victoria Atkins: Our SR21 settlement represents the biggest increase to an MoJ budget through a Spending Review in the last 10 years, recognising the importance of crime and justice to the Government’s agenda. The Deputy Prime Minister is developing his plans for allocating this funding and will announce more details in due course.

Prison Accommodation: Costs

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, paragraph 4.30, published on 27 October 2021, whether capital costs associated with HMP (a) Five Wells and (b) Glen Parva are included in the £3.8 billion for the creation of additional prison places over the next three years.

Victoria Atkins: The £3.8 billion which this Government is investing over the next three years in creating additional prison places includes the capital costs associated with completing construction of the new prison at Glen Parva. It does not reflect costs associated with HMP Five Wells as construction of that prison will be complete by the end of Financial Year 2021/22.

Prison Officers: Clothing

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits for reasons of safety of equipping prison officers with utility vests.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether prison officers may choose to wear utility vests while on duty.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of trends in the average weight of equipment carried by prison officers on duty.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average weight is of equipment carried by prison officers on duty.

Victoria Atkins: The Prison Service is reviewing how carrying aids can best be utilised to ensure mandated equipment is carried as safely as possible. As part of this, we have sought the advice of a musculoskeletal expert and are consulting closely with unions and staff.Utility vests are mandatory for some specialist teams, while prison officers are issued utility belts. The average weight of equipment has not been assessed, however, the introduction of new mandated equipment worn by officers has led to an increase in weight. The weight of the mandated equipment and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) approved utility belt is between 2.5kg and 3kg. The variation in weight is due to the varying number of keys carried by the staff.

Prisoners: Food

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2021 to Question 58345, what the food budget is per prisoner per day in 2020-21, for each public sector prison in England and Wales.

Victoria Atkins: Prison Governors have the authority to determine how they spend the overall non-pay budget for their prison. An element which makes up the non-pay budget is food which in 2020-21 was calculated on a formula of £2.12 per prisoner per day. Governors ultimately use their discretion to determine how much is specifically allocated from within their budget for food.

Probation: Suicide

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Deaths of Offenders in the Community, England and Wales, 2020/21, published by his Department on 28 October 2021, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the 18 per cent increase in the number of self-inflicted deaths among people supervised by the probation service in the community between 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Kit Malthouse: We are committed to doing all we can to prevent deaths of offenders under supervision. It is important to note that while probation staff can offer support, including help with access to health and substance misuse services, their primary purpose is to protect the public.Statistics for the latest year reflect the impact of Covid-19 (and the measures it was necessary to take in response), as well as underlying trends. The category ‘self-inflicted death’ is not synonymous with “suicide”, but also includes a range of drug-related deaths. The more detailed breakdown provided in the published data tool shows that the biggest increase was in the drug overdose sub-category.An internal review is conducted following each death, and most deaths in the ‘self-inflicted’ category are the subject of an inquest. Learning from these processes informs our approach to suicide prevention and substance misuse. We will be working closely with the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman to develop and share learning to improve practice.

Prisoners' Release: Rehabilitation

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, published on 27 October 2021, how much (a) capital and (b) revenue spending the Government plans to allocate to prison leaver rehabilitation in (i) 2022-3, (ii) 2023-4 and (iii) 2024-5.

Kit Malthouse: We are injecting £550m over the next three years, building on investment this year, to support prison leavers transition back into society and reduce reoffending. This funding will improve prison leavers’ access to accommodation, employment support and substance misuse treatment and introduce further measures for early intervention to tackle youth offending. By getting this right, we will get to the root of reoffending and help beat crime.The overall settlement represents the biggest increase to an MoJ budget through a Spending Review in the last 10 years, recognising the importance of crime and justice to the Government’s agenda. The Deputy Prime Minister is developing his plans for allocating this funding and will announce more details in due course.

Prisoners' Release: Rehabilitation

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total (a) capital and (b) revenue spending budget is for spending on prison leaver rehabilitation in 2021-22.

Kit Malthouse: The total capital budget for all probation service activities in England and Wales for 2021-22 is £96.9m. This includes prison leavers as well as those in the community.The total revenue budget for the probation service activities in England and Wales for 2021-22 is £1,212.8m. This includes prison leavers as well as those in the community.

Unpaid Work: Finance

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, published on 27 October 2021, how much (a) capital and (b) revenue spending will be allocated to the delivery of the expansion of unpaid work in (i) 2022-23, (ii) 2023-24 and (iii) 2024-25.

Kit Malthouse: We will be investing up to £93m over the next three years to increase the community work undertaken by offenders to around 8 million hours per year.The settlement represents the biggest increase to an MoJ budget through a Spending Review in the last 10 years, recognising the importance of crime and justice to the Government’s agenda. The Deputy Prime Minister is developing his plans for allocating this funding and will announce more details in due course.

Electronic Tagging: Finance

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, published on 27 October 2021, how much (a) capital and (b) revenue spending the Government plans to allocate to delivery of the expansion of electronic monitoring in (i) 2022-3, (ii) 2023-4 and (iii) 2024-5.

Kit Malthouse: We will be investing £183m over the next three years to support near doubling the number of people on tags from around 13,500 this year to 25,000 by 2025.The Spending Review settlement represents the biggest increase to an MoJ budget through a Spending Review in the last 10 years, recognising the importance of crime and justice to the Government’s agenda. The Deputy Prime Minister is developing his plans for allocating this funding and will announce more details in due course.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Interpreters

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many engagements classified as (a) complex-written, (b) complex and (c) standard has Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service engaged people to conduct spoken word interpreting tasks in (i) 2017, (ii) 2018, (iii) 2019 and (iv) 2020.

James Cartlidge: I refer the honourable member to the answer given to PQ HL3003 on 26 October 2021. A link to the answer can be found here: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

Sexual Offences: Trials

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the (a) total number of sex offence cases waiting to go to trial and (b) current waiting time for sex offence cases going to trial in London; and what were the (i) total number of sex offence cases and (ii) average waiting times for sex offence cases going to trial in London in each of the last five years.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice,  what estimate he has made of the (a) total number of sex offence cases waiting to go to trial and (b) current waiting time for sex offence cases going to trial in England and what were the (i) total number of sex offence cases and (ii) average waiting times for sex offence cases going to trial in England in each of the last five years.

James Cartlidge: The table below shows the total number of sexual offence outstanding cases sent for trial to the Crown Court, the average outstanding time in days from June 2017 to June 2021 (the latest available MoJ data) and the total number of sex offence cases outstanding for England and London.1,2,3,4Data up to 26 October 2021 is not currently available.Year England  Outstanding cases for trialMedian 5MeanTotal outstanding cases2017 5,3331351765,4752018 3,4691642023,6072019 2,7521101542,8862020 3,7581792043,9162021 6 5,8982032526,140 YearLondon Outstanding cases for trialMedian 5MeanTotal outstanding cases2017802981348412018439163194463201932210415634720205341962165512021 6893209257940Notes:1) Outstanding time refers to the time, measured in days, between the receipt of a case in a specific Crown Court and the end of the reporting period, for example counts presented for 2021 relate to cases which are open as at the end of June 2021.2) For trial' cases relates to the case type at the point of receipt into the Crown Court - we know that most of these cases will result in the entry of a guilty plea and that only a minority will require a trial.3) Outstanding cases excludes cases that have a live bench warrant issued on the case, at the end of the period. The number of cases outstanding at the end of each period will not be equal to the sum of cases outstanding at the start of the period and those received during the period, minus cases disposed due to the exclusion of cases that have a live bench warrant issued on the case.4) Appeal cases are not categorised by offence type and so are not included within the figures presented here.5) Median here relates to the 50th percentile6) Outstanding caseloads presented here excludes cases which have been recorded on the new case management system ('Common Platform') which has been rolled across England and Wales since September 2020. This is estimated to represent around 2% of the total outstanding sexual offence 'for trial' cases in England for the latest reporting period to June 2021.

Treasury

Food: Wholesale Trade

Henry Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.67 of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, whether food and drink wholesalers will be eligible for the 50 per cent business rates relief discount.

Lucy Frazer: Guidance setting out eligibility for the 2022-23 retail, hospitality and leisure reliefs will be published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in due course.

Hospitality Industry: VAT

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to increase the rate of VAT once the rate of 12.5 per cent expires on 31 March 2022; and what assessment he has made of the impact on small and medium sized businesses in the hospitality sector of returning to a 20 per cent rate.

Lucy Frazer: The temporary reduced rate of VAT was introduced on 15 July 2020 to support the cash flow and viability of around 150,000 businesses, and to protect over 2.4 million jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors. As announced at Spring Budget 2021, the Government extended the 5 per cent temporary reduced rate of VAT for the tourism and hospitality sectors until the end of September. On 1 October 2021, a new reduced rate of 12.5 per cent was introduced for these goods and services to help ease affected businesses back to the standard rate. This new rate will end on 31 March 2022. All taxes are kept under review, but there are no plans to extend the 12.5 per cent reduced rate of VAT. This relief has previously been costed at over £7 billion, but the latest forecast means it may now cost over £8 billion. The Government has been clear that this relief is a temporary measure designed to support the sectors that have been severely affected by COVID-19. It is appropriate that as restrictions are lifted and demand for goods and services in these sectors increases, the temporary tax reliefs are first reduced, and then removed, to rebuild and strengthen the public finances.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Nigeria: Buildings

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with authorities in Nigeria on the high-rise building that collapsed while under construction in the city of Lagos.

Vicky Ford: The UK is saddened by the tragic event that occurred in Lagos with the collapse of a high-rise building and we offer our condolences to the families of those affected. The British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos has extended his sympathies to the Governor and Deputy Governor of Lagos State.

Guadeloupe: Travel Restrictions

Matt Rodda: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government plans to review its advice on travel to Guadeloupe.

Amanda Milling: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice for Guadeloupe was updated on 29 October to reflect that the FCDO no longer advises against all but essential travel to Guadeloupe, based on the assessment of COVID-19 risks. All FCDO travel advice pages remain under constant review to ensure they reflect the latest threat assessment to British nationals and include up-to-date information and advice.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many meetings she has had which have focused on securing the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe since her appointment.

James Cleverly: Iran's decision to proceed with these baseless charges against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is an appalling continuation of the cruel ordeal she is going through. Instead of threatening to return Nazanin to prison Iran must release her permanently so she can return home. The Foreign Secretary discussed Nazanin's case with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on 22 September at the UN. The Foreign Secretary has also taken every opportunity to discuss the situation with other key players in the region and more widely and will continue to do so. The Foreign Secretary has spoken to Nazanin twice since taking up her role and met Nazanin's family most recently on 28 October to reiterate our commitment to securing her release. In addition, ministers hold regular meetings with officials to direct activity across the FCDO to secure her release. Our Ambassador in Tehran has regularly raised the cases of our detainees with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We will not stop working until those dual British nationals being arbitrarily detained by Iran are released.

India: Arrests

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to the Indian Government on the recent arrest of three Indian Muslim students for cheering Pakistan in the T20 world cup.

Amanda Milling: We look to India to uphold all freedoms and rights guaranteed in its strong constitution, and by the international instruments to which India is a party. Where we have concerns, we raise them directly with the Government of India, including at ministerial level. The UK engages with India on the full range of human rights matters, including freedom of religion or belief, working with Union and State Governments to build capacity and share expertise to promote human rights for all.

Tunisia: Press Freedom

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her North African counterparts on press freedom in Tunisia.

James Cleverly: The UK is closely monitoring the situation in Tunisia. We believe that the solution to Tunisia's challenges can only be achieved through the principles of democracy, transparency, human rights, and free speech. We call on all parties to uphold Tunisia's reputation as a tolerant and open society and to protect the democratic gains of the 2011 revolution. I spoke to Tunisian Foreign Minister Jerandi on 11 August and on 23 October. G7 Ambassadors in Tunis, led by the UK, issued a joint statement on 6 September setting out our joint position - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/g7-ambassadors-in-tunisia-issue-joint-statement-6-september-2021

Lebanon: Security

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with international counterparts on the security situation in Beirut.

James Cleverly: The UK government closely follows the security situation in Beirut and across Lebanon and maintains a regular dialogue with international counterparts on this. Following the recent clashes in Beirut on 14 October, I issued a public message calling for calm. The UK government and likeminded partners also reiterated this message at the most recent UN Security Council closed consultations on UNSCR 1559 in Lebanon on 20 October.

Ministry of Defence

Defence Equipment and Support: Pay

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the bonus pay box markings for the Senior Leadership Group of Defence Equipment & Support covering each of the last four years showing the percentage bonus payments awarded against each grade.

Jeremy Quin: The bonus pay box markings, for the last four years, for the civilian Senior Leadership Group of Defence Equipment & Support can be found within the tables below: 2017 Performance AwardSCS * Level Rating 1Rating 2Rating 3Rating 4Rating 5 3*50%37.5%25%0%0% 2*50%37.5%25%0%0% 1*£10,400£8,800£4,750£0£0  2018 Performance AwardSLG * LevelRating 1Rating 2Rating 3Rating 4Rating 5 3*40%30%20%0%0% 2*40%30%20%0%0% 1*24%18%12%0%0%   2019 Performance AwardSLG * LevelRating 1Rating 2Rating 3Rating 4Rating 5 3*29.70%22.20%14.80%0%0% 2*29.70%22.20%14.80%0%0% 1*17.80%13.30%8.90%0%0%   2020 Performance AwardSLG * LevelRating 1Rating 2Rating 3Rating 4Rating 5 3*10%10%10%0%0% 2*10%10%10%0%0% 1*10%10%10%0%0%Notes:   Performance awards for 2017 were based on a percentage of base salary for Senior Civil Servants (SCS) at 3 and 2 Star level; and a fixed monetary amount for 1 Star level.  Performance awards for 2021 have not been provided as these are yet to be paid at Executive 3 and 2 Star level and are currently under consideration.   Military personnel are excluded from these figures as they are not employed directly by DE&S and are subject to the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body.

Defence Equipment and Support: Pay

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of the Senior Leadership Group of Defence Equipment & Support were paid over £70,000 in each year since 2010.

Jeremy Quin: The Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Senior Leadership Group (SLG) structure was established in 2017 to reflect changes to DE&S pay arrangements since becoming a Bespoke Trading Entity. The number of substantive DE&S Civilian SLG personnel who were paid over £70,000 since 2017 is set out in the table below: As at DateNumber of staff being paid over £70,000 1 April 2017123 1 April 2018112 1 April 2019103 1 April 2020115 1 April 2021106 Notes:Pay is defined as salary, plus regular/fixed allowances.These figures do not include DE&S staff who were on temporary promotion into Senior Leadership Group roles.The decrease in figures from April 2017 to April 2018 is due to SLG members moving from DE&S on the formation of the Submarine Delivery Agency.  Military personnel are excluded from these figures as they are not employed directly by DE&S and are subject to the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body.

Defence Equipment and Support: Pay

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the average salary increase for a member of staff at Defence Equipment & Support in each year since 2010.

Jeremy Quin: Based on available information, the average salary increases since performance year 2015 (the year when DE&S became a Bespoke Trading Entity), across all civilian grades is set out in the table below: Implementation dateAverage Salary Increase %2021[see note 1]0.09%20202.25%20192.00%20182.20%20172.30%20161.35%20152.00%  Note 1: In line with the Spending Review announcements made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the communication issued by the Government Chief People Officer in November 2020, the majority of DE&S civil servants received no salary increase in 2021. However, 1,294 DE&S civil servants received an average salary increase of 1.24%. These increases were either: in line with increases in the National Living Wage; or an increase of £250 where eligible employees were earning less than £24,000 (as at 31 March 2021); or were a tapered increase of up to £250 for those earning less than £24,249 to maintain differentials. Military personnel are excluded from these figures as they are not employed directly by DE&S and are subject to the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body.

Department for Work and Pensions

Vacancies

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what she is taking with the Chancellor of the Exchequer through the Plan for Jobs to fill vacancies in the labour market.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to promote and fill employment vacancies in the UK.

Mims Davies: Throughout the pandemic, the Government has provided historic levels of support to the economy. DWP’s Plan for Jobs programmes, including Kickstart, are delivering tailored support for claimants in receipt of Universal Credit to support them into work.Alongside Plan for Jobs measures, DWP is working across government to support people into sectors with immediate or growing demand for jobs but with barriers to entry. We are also working with industry to provide our work coaches with the knowledge they need to identify suitable candidates and to develop relationships with key employers and stakeholders in their local areas. As a result, local jobcentres continue to connect directly with employers in their area, to discuss their recruitment needs and to offer advice on the support available, including work trials, work experience and Sector-based Work Academies Programmes (SWAPs).

State Retirement Pensions

Dr James Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that there are no delays in the delivery of state pension payments for individuals moving away from other welfare support, including Employment Support Allowance.

Guy Opperman: The Department is reviewing the intervention points and customer touchpoints to provide appropriate support where needed to our Employment Support Allowance, Job Seekers Allowance and Income Support customers to claim their State Pension before reaching pension age.

Kickstart Scheme

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the data for Kickstart scheme (a) applications, (b) business registrations and (c) placement starts for young people seeking work by (i) constituency and (ii) local authority.

Mims Davies: As of 2 November, there have been over 23,570 applications approved for funding from the Kickstart Scheme. These applications have come from over 900 Gateway organisations and over 14,000 employers and include 304,000 approved jobs. Employers and Gateways can make multiple applications, and the number of employers included within gateway applications is not included in these figures. We are unable to provide the number of applications and business registrations by parliamentary constituency or local authority, however we have provided, in the attached document, tables listing the number of jobs made available for young people to apply for and jobs started on the Kickstart Scheme by Local Authority and Parliamentary Constituency. The figures provided are correct as of 2 November 2021 and these figures have been rounded according to departmental standards. There has been a delay in answering this question as additional time was needed to quality assure the information provided. Job locations are as reported by the employer on the Job Placement Template. In some cases, employers will report the address of their head office rather than the precise location of the job. The information provided shows the location of the job not the location of the young person who has started the job. Given we do not know where the remote job is being undertaken, we have removed remote jobs from the geographical breakdowns and have placed in a separate remote category. Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly. The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics, but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.PQ 58900 Data (xlsx, 49.3KB)

Kickstart Scheme

Dr Ben Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Kickstart scheme placements have been (a) approved, (b) advertised and (c) started by young people, by (i) nation, (ii) region and (iii) sector.

Mims Davies: As of the 2nd November, 98,000 young people have started a Kickstart job. Over 215,000 jobs have been made available for young people to apply to through the scheme and over 304,000 jobs have been approved for funding. From 28/09/2021 to 25/10/2021, on average over 6,700 Kickstart jobs were made available each week, and on average over 3,400 young people started a Kickstart job each week. Below are tables listing the number of Kickstart jobs which have been made available and started by young people to date by geographical area of Great Britain and work sector. The figures used are correct as of the 2nd November and these figures have been rounded according to departmental standards. Jobs made available and starts quoted here include some unfunded Kickstart jobs. Over time, some previously approved jobs have been removed where the employer chose not to follow up the application. Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly. The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics, but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme. Table 1- Kickstart jobs made available and started by location.LocationJobs Made AvailableCumulative Jobs StartedEast Midlands13,0206,030East of England17,1306,900London46,79020,990North East8,6604,600North West26,72012,460Scotland16,0408,400South East24,31010,580South West15,0806,230Wales11,1004,730West Midlands19,2709,070Yorkshire and The Humber16,8307,830*These numbers are rounded and so may not match provided totals.   Table 2- Kickstart jobs made available and started by sector.SectorJobs Made AvailableCumulative Jobs StartedAdministration53,23024,440Animal Care1,250760Beauty & Wellbeing1,600780Business & Finance7,7703,570Computing Technology & Digital14,9508,070Construction & Trades6,5003,010Creative & Media17,5509,750Delivery & Storage6,1902,780Emergency & Uniform Services520220Engineering & Maintenance6,6803,000Environment & Land3,9901,930Government Services780280Healthcare5,3302,060Home Services1,560520Hospitality & Food25,0808,110Law & Legal450310Managerial1,070460Manufacturing5,8202,590Retail & Sales32,51016,340Science & Research840490Social Care4,7501,590Sports & Leisure5,1502,400Teaching & Education10,0103,870Transport730210Travel & Tourism700280*These numbers are rounded and so may not match provided totals.

Household Support Fund: Hendon

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how the £500 million Household Support Fund will provide assistance to vulnerable people in Hendon over the next six months.

David Rutley: We recognise that some people may require extra support over the winter as we enter the final stages of recovery, which is why vulnerable households across the country will now be able to access a new £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund will provide £421 million to help vulnerable people in England. The Barnett Formula will apply in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million. The Household Support Fund in England is being allocated at the Upper Tier level. In Hendon, this means that funding has been allocated to Barnet Council. All Upper Tier Local Authorities have the flexibility to deliver their own schemes through a variety of routes, which may include offering vouchers to households, directly providing food, or issuing grants to third parties to provide such services on their behalf. The Household Support Fund will primarily be used to support households in need with food, energy and water costs, with flexibility for support with wider essentials. In exceptional cases of genuine emergency where existing housing support schemes do not meet this exceptional need, the Household Support Fund can be used to support housing costs. At least 50% of the funding is for vulnerable households with children, while up to 50% is available for vulnerable households without children, including individuals.

Personal Pensions

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is planning to take to help people understand their personal pensions in (a) Hendon constituency and (b) the UK.

Guy Opperman: We are actively working on supporting people to understand and prepare for retirement, with pension guidance provided by the Money and Pension Service available in all parts of the UK.Alongside the introduction of the Pension Freedoms in 2015, we introduced Pension Wise guidance, now delivered through the Money and Pensions Service MoneyHelper Pension Wise (moneyhelper.org.uk). Pension Wise provides free, impartial guidance to savers aged 50 or above as they approach retirement and who are considering accessing their pension savings through pensions freedoms. In addition to Pension Wise, MoneyHelper Pensions (formerly known as The Pensions Advisory Service) provides guidance to individuals of all ages, across a wide range of issues.To ensure pension savers consider receiving Pension Wise guidance before accessing their savings, we recently consulted on introducing a Stronger Nudge to Pensions’ Guidance. The Government’s response will be published in due course.Simple annual benefit statements have also been introduced to help members better understand the information they receive from their pension scheme, including how much they have saved. Empowering consumers to see all of their pensions savings in one place for the first time and also what level of income they might provide in retirement, is a key part of our strategy to improve consumers’ engagement with pensions. Pensions dashboards will put the individual saver in control, reconnect people with their lost pension pots, and transform how people think and plan for their retirement.The Pensions Dashboards Programme’s latest progress report was published in October 2021, and highlighted that dashboards remain on track for delivery in phase 4 of their delivery programme.

Unemployment: Hendon

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support Jobcentre Plus is providing to young people not in education, employment and training in the Hendon constituency.

Mims Davies: The Government’s Plan for Jobs is delivering a comprehensive package of support for young people, which the Department for Work and Pensions is providing in collaboration with the Department for Education, schools and other partners. This means that whatever their needs, young people can find the right support, education or training that will ultimately lead to sustained employment. Jobcentre Plus provides an array of support for young people living in the constituency of Hendon and across the Borough of Barnet, underpinned by a close working relationship with key stakeholders. Kickstart provides employment and training opportunities across a range of sectors with Kickstart jobs offered by key employers in the area such as Brent Cross-Hemmersons, Barnet Council, The Cherry Tree Foundation and The London Village Network. Every week we welcome dozens of employers into the local Jobcentres to recruit young people face-to-face. Our Work Coaches help to prepare young people for interview, and where a job start is secured, offer financial support to overcome any barriers around travel and essential clothing and equipment. The local Youth Hub is based in Grahame Park, Colindale. Work Coaches, in collaboration with Barnet Council, provide bespoke support to customers to move closer to work or opportunities, from CV writing to training opportunities. We are working closely with the local leaving care team and a range of expert partners to provide the holistic support needed by this priority group of young people. These organisations include Bridging the Gap, Future Pathways, Live Unlimited, Routes into Constructions, Twinning Enterprise, Trail Blazers, Barnet Council, Advocacy Service and Drive Forward Foundation. These vital partnerships have been at the forefront in our drive to reduce youth unemployment, ensuring every young person is being supported into work. Sector-based Work Academy Programmes also provide the essential skills young people need to enter employment, for example a recent programme provided the skills required for the fitness industry and prioritised those young people with complex barriers linked to leaving care, gang affiliation and a history of offending.

COP26

UN Climate Conference 2021: Aviation

Ruth Jones: To ask the President of COP26, how many and what proportion of UK Government ministers travelled by air to COP26 in Glasgow.

Ruth Jones: To ask the President of COP26, how many and what proportion of world leaders travelled to COP26 by air.

Michael Ellis: Our default approach is that travel to and from Glasgow is by train or other appropriate public ground transportation. COP26 will be carbon neutral. Our principal priority is to reduce emissions from the conference with any unavoidable carbon emissions from COP26 to be offset. We are working to achieve PAS2060 Carbon Neutrality validation for COP26 to ensure this approach. We have also encouraged delegates to consider low-carbon travel options and will be offsetting the emissions associated with travel, including those of the COP President and UK officials in the run up to COP26.

Home Office

Asylum: Glasgow

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Scottish Government on the settlement of and provision for asylum seekers within the Glasgow City Council area.

Tom Pursglove: There is no direct routing of asylum seekers to Glasgow. Currently the only asylum intake source for Glasgow is from in-region presentations within Glasgow. The Home Office has established a weekly Regional Delivery Group at which the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Scottish Government are represented, regarding the planning of support for asylum seekers in Glasgow.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the proportion of the 11,000 people in bridging hotels following Operation Pitting who will gain Indefinite Leave to Remain through (a) the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, (b) the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme and (c) other immigration routes; and if she will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: As set out in the ‘Afghan Resettlement & Immigration Policy Statement’, all those evacuated during Operation PITTING that are part of the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy, the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (once open) or family members of British Citizens (and settled persons) will be granted Indefinite Leave to Remain. This will provide them all with full access to work, benefits and services.Further information on the grant of leave for those evacuated is set out in the policy statement published on gov.uk on 13 September 2021, available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghanistan-resettlement-and-immigration-policy-statement.

Crime Prevention: Finance

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to launch the fourth round of Safer Streets Fund.

Rachel Maclean: The recent Spending Review continues funding for the Safer Streets programme and we will provide further details on this in the new year.

Serious Violence Reduction Orders

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to (a) collect and (b) publish data on the (a) age, (b) gender and (c) ethnicity of people subject to serious violence reduction orders.

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to undertake an equalities impact assessment on the implementation of serious violence reduction orders.

Kit Malthouse: We published a policy equality statement for the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in September 2021. This document includes a policy equality assessment on SVROs. The full assessment can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/police-crime-sentencing-and-courts-bill-2021-equality-statements/home-office-measures-in-the-police-crime-sentencing-and-courts-bill-equalities-impact-assessment We will pilot and evaluate SVROs in four police force areas before a decision is made on national roll out. Ministers will be required to have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty in taking decisions in relation to implementation and the pilot in due course. We will, therefore, ensure that the equalities assessment is kept up to date. The Government is working with the pilot police forces to agree the parameters of the pilot evaluation and what data will need to be collected and monitored to inform the evaluation.

Crimes of Violence: Crime Prevention

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to make additional funding available for (a) local authorities, (b) educational institutions and (c) health services to implement serious violence partnerships.

Kit Malthouse: This Government recognises that tackling serious violence is not only a law enforcement issue, it needs a multi-agency approach involving a range of partners with a focus on prevention and early intervention. That is why we continue to take a whole system approach to violence prevention, exemplified by our £105.5m investment to date in Violence Reduction Units that co-ordinate the partnership response to violence in their areas, and by implementing the Serious Violence Duty that will ensure that serious violence is made a focus within existing multi-agency arrangements across England and Wales, allowing for greater collaboration between a wider set of partners.Following the recent outcome of the Spending Review, we have committed to investing £150 million a year to continue and expand programmes that prevent crime and keep our communities safe. We will provide greater detail on the funding allocations later this year.

Police: Nottinghamshire

Lee Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of the police officers hired as part of the Police Uplift Programme have been (a) hired and (b) deployed in Nottinghamshire.

Kit Malthouse: Nottinghamshire police has been allocated a total of 212 additional officers for years one and two of the uplift combined, to be recruited by March 2022. As at 30 September 2021, Nottinghamshire police has recruited 243 additional officers counting towards uplift. Allocations for year three are yet to be announced. Newly recruited officers typically compete initial training of between 12-18 weeks, following which, new officers will be out on the beat. The deployment of officers in the force area is an operational matter for the Chief Constable.The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of officers recruited as part of the Police Officer Uplift Programme on a quarterly basis. The latest data, covering the situation to 30 September 2021, are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-officer-uplift-statistics. These data are published at Police Force Area level in the supplementary tables accompanying the bulletin.

Crimes of Violence: Crime Prevention

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria her Department plans to use to identify people whose information will be shared at serious violence partnerships.

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether education institutions, local authorities and health services will be required to share information with the police about people deemed at risk of serious violence under serious violence partnerships.

Kit Malthouse: Tackling serious violence is not only an issue for law enforcement, it needs a multi-agency approach involving a range of partners and agencies such as education, health, social services, housing, youth and victim services with a focus on prevention and early intervention. Through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill we are creating a new duty on a range of specified agencies, to work collaboratively, share data and information and put in place plans to prevent and reduce serious violence within their local communities. The legislation does not specify particular types of data or cohorts of individuals whose data must be shared as part of this process. This will be for local partnerships to determine based on local circumstances. The Bill also specifies that authorities will need to comply with relevant data protection legislation when sharing data, personal or otherwise, under the Serious Violence Duty.

Department for International Trade

Environment Protection: International Cooperation

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government is taking to help support international collaboration in green growth sectors.

Mike Freer: The Department for International Trade (DIT) plays a critical role in delivering the UK’s ambitious domestic and international climate goals. DIT is using its international trade and investment levers to increase green investment, low-carbon supply chains, and clean exports. Our ambitious Free Trade Agreements and bilateral relations are reducing barriers to green trade. To support the UK’s COP26 presidency, DIT’s global network is working with international businesses, investors, and government partners. This builds on the recent Global Investment Summit where the UK hosted the world’s leading businesses and investors to encourage collaboration and increase investment across green industries.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling: Internet

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what her planned timetable is for commencing trials of a single customer view for online gambling; and whether she has discussed those trials with gambling operators.

Chris Philp: The Gambling Commission has worked closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office to understand how a single customer view can be delivered in compliance with all relevant data protection requirements. The Information Commissioner’s Office recently published a report confirming it should be possible under data protection law for data to be shared safely and securely between online operators to help prevent gambling related harm. The report does not comment on how any single customer view should work in practice. We expect the industry to prioritise the trial of its planned single customer view solution as a next step and will continue to monitor developments closely.

Gambling: Reviews

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of Public Health England's review of the evidence on gambling harms, published on 30 September 2021.

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether a gambling ombudsman could be established without primary legislation; and what plans she has for establishing such an ombudsman.

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has assessed the available data on gambling and gambling harm; and if she will bring forward proposals to fund the collection and assessment of those data through a statutory levy.

Chris Philp: The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December with the publication of Terms of Reference and a Call for Evidence. The Review is wide-ranging and aims to ensure that the regulation of gambling is fit for the digital age. The Call for Evidence included questions on the need for changes to the system of consumer redress, the appropriate mechanism for recouping the societal and regulatory costs of gambling and on barriers to high quality research. We will publish a white paper setting out our conclusions and vision for the sector in due course, and this will include an indication of how any changes will be implemented, whether by legislation or other means.Public Health England’s review will be a valuable contribution to our Gambling Act Review and we are considering it carefully. Alongside the Review, we will work with the Department of Health and Social Care and key stakeholders to address the knowledge gaps identified in the evidence review and improve data collection more broadly.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Livestock: Exports

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has for implementing a ban on the export of live animals for slaughter.

Jo Churchill: The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, which received its Second Reading in the House of Commons on 25 October, will ban live exports of livestock and equines for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain. We plan to adapt the existing journey log approval system and will be engaging with industry on the implementation of the ban before introducing regulations.

Plastics

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the amount of single-use plastics.

Jo Churchill: The Government's 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042. The Resources and Waste Strategy, published December 2018, sets out how we want to achieve this and move towards a circular economy where resources are kept in the system for as long as possible. In October 2020, we introduced measures to restrict the supply of single-use plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds. The single-use carrier bag charge, which has led to a 95% reduction in the use of single-use carrier bags by the main supermarkets, has also been increased to 10p and extended to all retailers. We will be consulting later this year on banning a range of single-use plastic items, including single-use plastic plates, cutlery, and polystyrene cups. We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and materials to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of unnecessary single-use plastic. Our Environment Bill will enable us to change significantly the way that we manage our waste and take forward a number of proposals from the Resources and Waste Strategy, which will reduce consumption of single-use plastic further. The Bill includes key powers to create Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes; introduce Deposit Return Schemes (DRS); and establish greater consistency in the recycling system. Furthermore, from April 2022, plastic packaging that does not contain at least 30% recycled content will be subject to a tax of £200/tonne. Further details on the development of this tax can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-plastic-packaging-tax/plastic-packaging-tax#detailed-proposal. The Government has put together a package of over £100 million for research and innovation to tackle the issues that arise from plastic waste. £38 million was set aside through the Plastics Research and Innovation Fund, the last funding competition of which opened in June 2020. The Government has also committed £60 million of funding through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, alongside a £150 million investment from industry, towards the development of smart, sustainable plastic packaging (SSPP), which will aim to make the UK a world leader in sustainable packaging for consumer products.

Agriculture: Wales

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the cumulative impact of successive trade deals on Welsh agriculture.

Victoria Prentis: HMG publishes scoping assessments to assess the impacts of free trade agreements, in advance of negotiations. Following signature of an agreement, a full impact assessment is published prior to implementation. These assessments set out the impact of each agreement at a sectoral (including agriculture and the food sector) and sub-national level including Wales. The exact impacts of future trade agreements are uncertain and together with the devolved administrations, Defra has established the UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group (UKAMMG) to monitor and assess the impact of market developments across the UK. The group monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, trade and recent developments, enabling it to provide forewarning of any atypical market movements. The UKAMMG will flag where further investigation of market developments is required and when policy teams and Ministers should be informed of any developments. Whilst the UK Government works closely with the Welsh Government in monitoring the UK agricultural markets it remains sensitive to the fact that agriculture is a devolved policy area. In addition, HMG is actively monitoring the impact of newly implemented free trade agreements and is currently developing the tools and evidence for future monitoring and evaluation of free trade agreements.